Saving our rice bowl

A climate that is wet when it should have been dry is taking a toll on rice farmers in the country’s largest granary.

STEPPING into his rice field, Baharom Kasim sank in up to his knees. A year and a half ago, the soft earth would have reached up to his waist. His harvesting machine would have been partially submerged in the quicksand-like soil, which swallowed whatever entered the field.